Do Your Contracts Protect Your Company?

Fingers crossed that you use a contract to formalize your DJ & entertainment services for each and every client, but if you don’t, you need to read this article. Even if you do have contracts in place, do you use it more as an order form, or as a formal contract that protects your business?

We want every wedding to go smoothly. Wedding couples should be fair people who are easy to please and everything you discussed should be 100% understood. Wrong. Those are all false assumptions. Brides and grooms can have unsaid expectations and blame you for not fulfilling them. And sometimes just for the game or gain of trying to get as much as they can, they will exploit the smallest error, omission, or mistake.

That is why you need a contract and it is worth every penny to hire an attorney or find another business in your category from another area that has a professional, binding contract and ask for their permission to use their contract as a base for yours. Don’t intimidate your clients with a lengthy contract, keep it simple. But make sure it is thorough enough to protect you from being victimized and exploited by exaggerated claims.

Consider this when drafting a contract:

What happens in the event of a cancellation? Do you have a cancellation fee or refund policy?

What happens in the event of a postponement? For example, all prices and services will stay the same based on availability and a finite period of time for the event to be rescheduled.

What if there is a reduction of services? Is there a penalty?

What if you have to change the booking? You should include a clause for the right to substitute another DJ if they are booking a particular DJ for the date.

What about things that are out of your control? You should include a clause for “Act of God” occurrences that can prevent performance or result in underperformance of a service.

And what about other miscellaneous problems? Make sure to include that liability is limited to a full refund in the event of a problem.

Make sure to include that you will be held harmless of consequential damages. For example, if you end up showing up late, you won’t be responsible for paying the photographer’s overtime charge.

It may be beneficial to your reputation in certain cases to make concessions to avoid litigation and negative reviews. However, protecting your business with the right contract can at least give you some level of protection.

You might place a great deal of trust in your client. But things can turn for the worse and you need to make sure that you are covered in the case of an event. Making things official by putting your services in writing will not only benefit you but it will also benefit the client and give them peace of mind. Also if you subcontract any work, make sure you have a contract with them as well.

Formerly partners with wedding industry guru Alan Berg, Brian Lawrence is one of the industry’s foremost authorities on marketing in the wedding industry. Brian has consulted with many local wedding professionals and as well as national brands. A speaker at WeddingWire World and Wedding MBA, he is the author of “The Wedding Expert’s Guide to Sales and Marketing” and has helped thousands of industry professionals with his marketing insights through personal consultation, books, seminars, blogs and articles, and speaking engagements at leading industry conferences. For more information go to www.brianlawrence.com or contact Brian at brian@brianlawrence.com or 201 244 5969.